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The last four weeks, we have been talking about five things to be grateful for during this season of giving, which always comes the last two months of each year. I call it the season of giving. And we are fully into celebrating this season. So over the last four weeks, we’ve talked about being grateful for God’s love, being grateful for God’s provision for his faithfulness, and being grateful for God’s greatest gift, Jesus Christ, our Savior, our Redeemer. A couple of weeks ago, we discussed expressing gratitude by celebrating all that Jesus Christ did for us. This is a gift that God has given to all mankind. And so this gift was His. One translation says it was his unique Son, Jesus Christ.
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So celebration this time of year, Christmas especially Christmas, is a celebration of God’s gift to this world in the form of Jesus. He is the reason for the season.
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Hallelujah.
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Praise God. Then last week, brother Jackie Liston, one of our friends and board members, he shared with us the three GS of giving God, gratitude and generosity. Giving originated with God, and when he created us, he wired us to give and show gratitude and generosity. Then, as we saw a couple weeks ago, the Book of John tells us that God so loved us that he gave. God is a giver of gifts, and he loves giving to his children. His heart to give flows out of his love for you. Today I want us to look deeper into God’s heart to give. As we understand God’s heart to give, we see how our heart to give brings glory to him and impacts the world around us.
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We see why giving is important.
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Also, I want us to understand the way giving of gifts works. Giving is not just an arbitrary action or just a nice thing to do. Giving is a process, a flow governed by a law that brings blessings. And we’re going to see that today. Our key verse today is James 1, verse 17. So let’s begin there. And this is from the new King James Version. James 1:17 says, Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
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In this verse, James gives us insight into God’s heart for giving and then how the process of giving works. The first thing we see here is God gives good gifts and perfect gifts. So what is a good gift? Let’s just start there. The first thing the word good means here in the Greek is excellent. God gives excellent gifts. And this definition has several words here. The way they express it in the Greek, excellent meant or good meant, full of majesty. God’s gifts are majestic.
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They’re full of majesty. They’re magnificent.
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Hallelujah.
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His gifts are magnificent. They are excellent gifts.
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An excellent gift, it says, is one given to benefit greatness. God sees the greatness he put in you, and he gives you gifts to benefit that greatness. God’s gifts are good gifts. They’re excellent gifts. They’re majestic gifts, their magnificent gifts.
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Hallelujah.
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Psalm 16, verses 3 through 5. Let me read this for you. Psalmist here says, as for the saints who are on the earth, that’s you and me. They are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight. Their sorrows shall be multiplied who hasten after another God. Their drink, offerings of blood, I will not offer nor take up their names on my lips. O Lord, you are my portion of my inheritance and my cup. You maintain my lot.
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So the psalmist is saying here, God, I’m not going to pursue what others do. I’m not going to seek other gods. I’m not going to sacrifice and drink the blood offerings and serve those, because I know you’re not pleased with that. I’m going to seek you, Lord, for you are my portion, my inheritance. You fill my cup. You maintain my lot.
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Hallelujah.
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Thank you, Lord. You, my friend, are an excellent one, and all his delight is in you. Jesus is God’s gift to to us. And we are God’s gift to those we influence.
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Hallelujah.
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Jesus, flowing and working through us by his holy Spirit.
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Gifts us continues that gift God gave through him to the world, and he does that through us. He is your portion, your inheritance, your gift. We see here, good is not just enough. It’s not okay or, oh, that’s all right with God. Good is more than enough. It’s magnificent. It’s given to benefit greatness. There is greatness within you.
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God created you with greatness for greatness.
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You are a carrier of his greatness. Praise God. Praise God. Get up and just meditate on that every day. God, how can I carry your greatness today? How can I share your great witness with others today? Praise God.
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Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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What a blessed life we live.
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Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
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The second thing the word good means here, so it meant excellent. But the second thing it meant is distinguished.
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God’s gifts are distinguished gifts, separated from others by superior or extraordinary qualities. His good gifts are separated by other gifts. Because his good gifts are superior. They’re extraordinary. They’re imminent, they’re transcendent. They’re noted. They’re even famous and celebrated.
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Hallelujah.
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Yes, they are. When God gives a good gift, it separates you from others by superiority or extraordinary qualities. It distinguishes you. First Peter 2. 9 says this. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. That’s what we get to do as a part of his family, as representing him here in the earth. We get to proclaim the praises of him.
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To everyone around us.
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Hallelujah.
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God is so good. You are distinguished because you are chosen. You are royal. You are a priest. You are holy. You’re his own special people. You are set apart unto God your Father. Hallelujah.
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Praise God. Colossians 3:12 in the Amplified says, so as God’s own chosen people who are holy and set apart, sanctified for his purpose and well beloved by God himself, put on a heart of compassion and kindness and humility, gentleness and patience, which has the power to endure whatever injustice or unpleasantness comes with good temper. Hallelujah. It doesn’t matter what anybody else is trying to do. You what the world around you is seemingly coming against you with. God says, you’re mine. I chose you.
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I set you apart for me and for my purpose. I love you. It says here, you are well beloved.
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So with that, we put on the character of Christ. His compassion, his kindness, his humility, his gentleness, his patience, which empowers us to go forward, out into the world and face whatever comes at us, knowing that God is more than enough.
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Hallelujah.
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And he has anointed you for such a time as this. Praise God. Your presence in this world is a good gift from God to others. You were made to be loved and to share that love with others. By doing this, we all help transform the world around us. God put you here to share his goodness with others. You are not here by accident. God put you here on purpose, for a purpose.
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His purpose. Your life is a good gift. His presence in you and through you is a game changer. Your heart and your life matters. Don’t let anybody else or the enemy convince you that you’re not useful, that you’re not worth anything.
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Your life matters. Your heart matters.
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You are God’s gift to the world. You are here to bless others.
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Christ, through you, blesses all those around you.
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We are here to serve, to love to encourage, to uplift, nurture, others.
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Hallelujah.
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Wow. You are distinguished. The third thing the word good means here is upright. God’s good gifts are upright. It means that which is correct, right and proper. God’s good gifts are always correct, right and proper. He doesn’t ever miss it. God only gives us what is correct for us, proper for us, and right for us.
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He also only calls us to what is correct, right and proper for us. His plan and his purpose for you.
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Hallelujah.
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God has a plan and a purpose for you.
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That it’s a good gift to you, but it’s also through you, a good gift to others.
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Hallelujah.
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The fourth thing the word good means here is honorable. God’s good gifts are honorable.
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Holding a distinguished rank.
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God’s good gift honors you with a distinguished rank. His chosen one.
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Go back to first Peter 2:9, read and meditate on that verse. As his child, you were honored with all these distinguished qualities. Wow. Wow.
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Well, you say, I don’t see that or hear that. Doesn’t matter. You are in heavenly realms. You are honored. God honors you. And guys.
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I believe you know this, but I want to reassure you.
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What God thinks and who God chooses is way more important than what this world system thinks and who they choose. You are a chosen 1. The fifth thing the word good means here is pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, pleasing, cheerful, grateful, gratitude.
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Hallelujah.
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God’s gifts to you, in you, through you, bring pleasure, gratefulness and cheer. It brings this to God also, for he delights in you as you delight in him and his gifts he’s given. God’s gift also bring, bring us pleasure and create gratitude and cheer to you and all those around you.
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Hallelujah.
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God wants to take that gift, that good gift, and flow it through you. And it’s a never ending flow.
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Hallelujah.
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He’s always there. The sixth thing the word good means here is useful.
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Useful means having power to produce good, to be profitable, advancing in any purpose as a vessel and an instrument that is useful. God wants you to know he gives good gifts to us. He makes us useful. You are useful. You do good things, good works. You bring profit to him and to his kingdom, advancing his purpose, his plan, here in the earth. Genesis 1:28 in the Amplified and this is God speaking over Adam and Eve. And in the process of him speaking over Adam and Eve, he was speaking over all humanity who were to come.
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And God blessed them and said to them, be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and subdue it using all of its vast resources in the service of God and man and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth. The word blessed Here in Genesis 1:28 means this. It means prospered by by God.
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And that phrase there, prospered by God means empowered to advance, to make progress, to succeed and to profit.
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What God saw for Adam and Eve, he still sees for you today.
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His blessing is still true for you today. He still wants you to advance, to make progress, to succeed and to and a profit. Almost every day I get up going, father, thank you for your blessing. Thank you for blessing me today. Thank you for empowering me to prosper, to advance, to make progress, to succeed and to profit today. And all that I set my hands to and with everyone I engage with today. Wow. God’s gifts are good gifts that empower us to advance, to make progress, to succeed and to profit.
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And that word profit, prophet there in the Hebrew, also means to bring value, to be valuable to others in every dimension of life, not just financially, but in every dimension of life, to bring value.
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Isaiah 48:17 says this. This is from the amplified classic, Thus says the Lord your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go. And as I just said, this word profit here in this verse also means to be valuable and useful. God says he will teach you to be valuable and useful. And so God’s good gifts work in you and through you, with you and for you to be useful and to bring value to all those around you.
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And in that process.
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Profit comes in every dimension of your life.
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Spirit, soul, body, financially and socially, relationally.
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Hallelujah.
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Ephesians 3:20 this is my life verse one of my favorite verses says this. God works through us to accomplish his his purpose. God works through us to accomplish his purpose superabundantly far, over and above anything we dare ask or think. Think about that. What would you dare ask or thank God for today?
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He’ll just grin and go, I got that and super abundantly far over and above. More.
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His good gifts are always far, over and above anything we can ask or imagine.
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God’s good gifts are excellent. They’re distinguished. They’re upright. They’re honorable. They’re good. They’re pleasant. They’re agreeable. They’re joyful.
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They’re happy. They’re useful. They bring value.
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Hallelujah.
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Are you ready to see what God’s perfect Gifts are. Wow, that was a lot just seeing what his good gifts were. Now we’re going to talk about his perfect gifts. Okay.
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All right. I don’t know what happened there, Toby, but something messed up on the computer. So this will be an edit, of course. All right, so here we go back again.
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Are you ready? Be God’s Perfect Gifts what they Are.
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Every perfect gift is one that is complete. Nothing lacking, nothing needed. To fully walk in it or enjoy is the state of fullness, abounding and being in great plenty and abundance.
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Perfect here in the Greek means brought to its end, finished wanting nothing necessary for completeness, nothing missing, nothing broken. It’s perfect. Psalm 16:11 says this you will show me the path of life. In your presence is fullness of joy. At your right hand are pleasures evermore. Complete joy, perfect joy, nothing, missy. That’s a perfect gift from God. The word gift Here.
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From John 10:10.
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The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full, till it overflows. That’s God’s gift to you. Jesus came to give you the perfect gift of life in abundance to the full, till it overflows. The gift of life is a perfect life. An abundant, overflowing, full life, complete life, nothing lacking or missing. A life that is more than enough. That’s what God has for you in Christ.
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What we see here is God’s gifts are good, far over and above all we can ask or think and perfect, abundant, full, overflowing, and complete. These two words, good and perfect, are simply defining the characteristics of God’s gifts. All God’s gifts are good, and all God’s gifts are perfect. That’s all they can be.
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Psalm 105 in the Amplified classic says this. For the Lord is good. His mercy and loving kindness are everlasting. His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations. The word good there in Psalm 105 in the Hebrew means good.
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Bountiful, prosperity, benefit, the right kind, rich, valuable, excellent, pleasant and agreeable.
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Guys, this is just who God is. He is good. So his gifts are good. He is full of bounty, prosperity, benefits, righteousness, kindness, richness. He is valuable, excellent, pleasant, and agreeable.
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This is God’s heart forgiving, because this is who God is.
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Then the verse goes on to say, his mercy and loving kindness are everlasting forever without end.
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God’s heart for giving flows out of his goodness.
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And his giving good gifts flows out of his mercy and loving kindness to us forever as James said, these gifts come down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. All we have to do is receive them.
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So we understand that the giving heart of God.
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It’S powerful, it’s good, it’s great. But now I want us to look at God’s way of giving.
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So he gives a good gift. This word gift here means a giving, a bestowing, a conferring and imparting, a granting, a delivering, a providing.
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A gift given and received.
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To be a gift, it must be given and received.
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This is God’s flow that he created. It’s called the law of seedtime and harvest. The law of sowing and reaping. The law of giving and receiving. A law is how something works. For example, we know about the law of gravity and the law of lift. We thank God for the law of lift because it overcomes the law of gravity. When we’re flying in an airplane, God just doesn’t talk about seed time or sowing or giving.
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He talks about seed, time and harvest. He talks about sowing and reaping. He talks about giving and receiving. If we plant and sow seed but don’t get a harvest, we’ll say, well, that’s not good ground. What happened there? Something’s wrong. Seedtime and harvest and sowing and reaping is all about the law of giving and receiving.
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When we plant and sow a seed, we expect to reap a harvest. That’s the way it works. For there to be a giving of a gift, it must be received. If we give and don’t receive, we interrupt the flow of God’s blessing.
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Hallelujah.
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We miss out on what God has for us when we don’t receive from him or from those he uses to give to us. This is one of the things Satan uses to rob us of what God has for us. He’ll say, you should give, but don’t expect anything back. Don’t be greedy. Or if someone is trying to give you something or buy you something, he’ll say, don’t let them do that. What will people think? They’ll say that you’re poor, you’re needy, or you’re manipulating people. Receiving a gift is just as important as giving a gift. It’s a part of the flow of God’s blessing.
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It’s how the law of giving and receiving works. And we don’t do this from a place of manipulation. We receive from a place of gratitude and gratefulness.
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Thankful for the blessing of God in our lives.
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Let me say this again. To be a great giver, you must be a great receiver.
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Gift.
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Gift. A bounty and benefit conferred to or bestowed on someone. The word bounty here in the Greek means an invocation of blessing. God’s gift empowers you to advance, to make progress, to succeed and to profit. It’s his blessing upon you.
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Hallelujah.
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He’s setting you apart.
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For his purpose.
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For a sacred purpose.
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Bounty in the Hebrew means an open hand, indicating power means direction, dominion, fellowship. From his hand to yours.
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We walk in the fullness and completeness of God’s gifts when we receive them.
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To be a great giver, you must be a great receiver. And to receive simply means to take it, accept it.
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It’s one who takes or accepts in any manner. Don’t let the enemy rob you of your blessing by not receiving what God is giving you, even when the G is coming through someone else. As we move forward into this season of being grateful for the gift of life, Jesus came to give us. Know this. When we receive what Jesus came to give us, we are giving ourselves to him and he receives us. Hallelujah. Praise God.
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Praise God.
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Hallelujah.
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God has good and perfect gifts for you.
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And he’s looking to give them to you and bless you with them. So let’s be grateful this season and celebrate all the gifts God has given us and all he wants to give us. Welcome to the season of giving and receiving.
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Hallelujah.
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Merry Christmas. Praise God. Let’s bow our heads in prayer. Father God, we thank you for your word. We thank you for this understanding you’ve given us, of your good gifts and your perfect gifts, but also of giving and receiving and how this works. Father God and God, I pray that we do give because giving starts that cycle of blessing, Father God, that cycle of seedtime and harvest.
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Father God, hallelujah.
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As we sow seed, we plant it and expect a harvest, knowing that it will come back and bless others and we will be blessed in the process. God promises us that. So, Father, we thank you for that. We praise you for it. We thank you for this season we get to celebrate you, your giving heart and all you’ve given us through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, your son. And Jesus, thank you for all that you gave for us so that we could be reconciled and be a part of the family of God. We thank you for it all in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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Praise God. God bless you. Pastor Kanye is coming right now with a closing word in prayer. Have a great weekend.
